2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Nebraska

The 2008 congressional elections in Nebraska were held on November 4, 2008, to determine who would represent the state of Nebraska in the United States House of Representatives, coinciding with the presidential and senatorial elections. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected will serve in the 111th Congress from January 3, 2009, until January 3, 2011.

2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Nebraska

← 2006 November 4, 2008 (2008-11-04) 2010 →
All 3 Nebraska seats to the United States House of Representatives
Majority party Minority party   Party Republican Democratic Last election 3 0 Seats won 3 0 Seat change Popular vote 510,513 264,885 Percentage 65.84% 34.16% Swing 10.78pp 9.78pp
District results County results Precinct results Republican   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90%   >90% Democratic   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90%   >90% Tie/No Data

Nebraska has three seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States census. Its 2007-2008 congressional delegation consisted of three Republicans. No district changed hands, although CQ Politics had forecasted district 2 to be at some risk for the incumbent party. The party primary elections were held May 13.^[1]

Overview

United States House of Representatives elections in Nebraska, 2008[2]
Party		Votes	Percentage	Seats	+/–
	Republican	510,513	65.84%	3	—
	Democratic	264,885	34.16%	0	—
Totals		775,398	100.00%	3	—

Match-up summary

District	Incumbent	2008 Status	Democratic	Republican	Other Party
1	Jeff Fortenberry	Re-election	Max Yashirin	Jeff Fortenberry
2	Lee Terry	Re-election	Jim Esch	Lee Terry
3	Adrian Smith	Re-election	Jay C. Stoddard	Adrian Smith

District 1

2006 Nebraska's 1st congressional district election

← 2006 2010 →

Nominee Jeff Fortenberry Max Yashirin Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 184,923 77,897 Percentage 70.4% 29.6%

County results Fortenberry:      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. Representative before election Jeff Fortenberry Republican Elected U.S. Representative Jeff Fortenberry Republican

See also: Nebraska's 1st congressional district

This district encompassed most of the eastern quarter of the state. Republican incumbent Jeff Fortenberry (campaign website) won re-election. Max Yashirin (campaign website) was the Democratic nominee.

• Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
• Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[3]	Safe R	November 6, 2008
Rothenberg[4]	Safe R	November 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball[5]	Safe R	November 6, 2008
Real Clear Politics[6]	Safe R	November 7, 2008
CQ Politics[7]	Safe R	November 6, 2008

Results

Nebraska's 1st congressional district election, 2008

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jeff Fortenberry (inc.)	184,923	70.36
	Democratic	Max Yashirin	77,897	29.64
Total votes			262,820	100.00
	Republican hold

District 2

See also: Nebraska's 2nd congressional district

This district encompassed the core of the Omaha metropolitan area. Republican incumbent Lee Terry won against Democratic nominee Jim Esch, an Omaha businessman. While campaigning, Terry had pledged that he would serve no more than three two year terms. However, he announced just months later that he would break the pledge. This garnered some bad press, but he won three more terms with little trouble. However, in 2006, he won by 55% to 45%, much less than expected in a solidly Republican district. His Democratic opponent in that race, Jim Esch, faced him again in 2008.

Lee Terry (R) - Incumbent (campaign website)

Jim Esch (D) (campaign website)

• Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
• Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[3]	Tossup	November 6, 2008
Rothenberg[4]	Tilt D (flip)	November 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball[5]	Lean R	November 6, 2008
Real Clear Politics[6]	Safe R	November 7, 2008
CQ Politics[7]	Lean R	November 6, 2008

Results

Nebraska's 2nd congressional district election, 2008

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Lee Terry (inc.)	142,473	51.93
	Democratic	Jim Esch	131,901	48.07
Total votes			274,374	100.00
	Republican hold

District 3

See also: Nebraska's 3rd congressional district

This district encompassed the western three-fourths of the state. Republican incumbent Adrian Smith (campaign website) won against Democratic nominee Jay C. Stoddard (campaign website).

• Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
• Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[3]	Safe R	November 6, 2008
Rothenberg[4]	Safe R	November 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball[5]	Safe R	November 6, 2008
Real Clear Politics[6]	Safe R	November 7, 2008
CQ Politics[7]	Safe R	November 6, 2008

Results

Nebraska's 3rd congressional district election, 2008

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Adrian Smith (inc.)	183,117	76.87
	Democratic	Jay C. Stoddard	55,087	23.13
Total votes			238,204	100.00
	Republican hold